Really? A floating ghost woman and my vampire sees nothing? “Yeah, I’m fine. But Kade, I have to tell you…it's going to sound crazy. I heard voices, laughter, a woman’s. And when I got in the tunnel, there was just this small light and then it turned into this ghost woman. She was beautiful with long, black hair and then she seemed like she wanted to attack me. That’s when I called for you...and well, Kade. I know it sounds crazy, but it was like she knew I was calling for you. She screamed, ‘He is mine,’ and rushed me, and that's when I got off a shot. Do bullets even kill ghosts? All I know is that I dodged right, but she missed me and then I fell down. And shit!” Sydney looked down at her clothes. She was covered in slimy, malodorous water. “Look at me! Ewwww. This is so gross...I gotta get home and take a shower. What the hell was that thing back there, anyway?”
“Wait, Sydney. Let me see you and make sure you are okay,” Kade said, checking her over for injuries. There was no blood and she appeared uninjured as she claimed.
“I’m fine. Really, I just fell when that…that ‘woman’ flew at me. I'm telling you Kade, I didn’t really believe in ghosts before tonight. But that was no person. I don’t know what the hell it was.” Sydney shook her head in frustration.
Kade could tell that Sydney was pretty much freaked out by her spectral experience, not to mention that she was covered in a mystery liquid that smelled of urine and who knows what else. Truth be told, Kade was shocked at her description. It was Simone, but how did she transport herself as an apparition? Magic? Someone or something was helping her. He had to get Sydney home and away from this place.
Within minutes, Kade’s limo arrived. On the way over to the brownstone, Kade and Sydney told Luca what happened in the alley. While Kade did not mention Simone, Luca could tell from Sydney’s description exactly who had visited them in the alley.
“Luca, I want to you to locate Ilsbeth,” Kade commanded. “I tried calling her shop but there was no answer. If you can’t reach her at home, then try her coven. Do not tell her the details of what happened. I want to speak to her myself.” Ilsbeth was a local witch from the French Quarter. She was cagey at times and not always easy to deal with, but Kade and Ilsbeth had been allies for several years. He could not claim they were close friends, but she could be trusted.
Luca was eager to make progress in the case so he could go home to New Orleans. “Right away. I will call her on my way over to Eden. I was planning to go there to feed and see Tristan. Do you want me to update him on today’s events?”
“Thank you, Luca, yes. Please let him know what happened, but do tell him up in his private office. We cannot afford to be overheard. Tell Tristan that Sydney and I will be at the brownstone for the rest of the night.”
Sydney shot him a look of surprise, but didn’t voice her concern. She was going to be there all night? Working the case? Or working Kade? She wasn’t sure she was going to be staying all night with Kade, but they did need to go over the details and work through the facts of the case. Maybe they were missing something. She could tell Kade wasn’t being completely honest with her. Sydney wasn’t ready to press him back at the crime scene, but she would damn sure find out after she got a shower and some food. She could tolerate a lot, but not lying.
When they arrived at the brownstone, the garage door opened to let the limo in under the house. Kade and Sydney exited the car and went into the house through the garage door. As they entered the living room, Sydney couldn’t hide her thoughts, “Nice place. I love the woodwork. A little dark, but beautiful.” Dark mahogany wood lined every hallway and room: rich, masculine.
“Thanks. It’s a rental that belongs to Tristan. As much as I like visiting, I have no intention of living here. As soon as the case is over, I need to get back to New Orleans.”
Ouch. Sydney knew he wasn’t going to stay here forever, but she thought that maybe he’d stay a while on vacation. Maybe he’d stay if he found something, or someone important enough. She wasn’t sure why she felt sick hearing him say that he was going to leave. She knew this wasn’t his home. She needed to build up that emotional wall. She didn’t want to have feelings for him. She was convinced she would get hurt. She needed to get back to business...talk about the case, but first, she needed to get clean. “Kade, can you show me to your washroom? I’ve got to clean up.”
Kade would love to show her to his shower...with her naked and him thrusting into her against the tiled walls. “Yes, sorry. Here, this way, love.” Silently they walked up the stairway and down a long hallway. Kade opened a door and gestured for her to enter. “Here you go. I can have your clothes laundered while we work. Just put them in the laundry chute. I will call for the maid to take care of the clothes. There are towels inside the closet, and there is a black robe hanging on the back of the door that you can wear until your clothes are finished being cleaned. Just come down when you are done. I will have some Chinese food delivered while you’re bathing.”
Sydney was aware of the sexual tension between them. It was just the two of them in the quiet hallway...alone in the house. She wanted him. She knew he’d be leaving. She knew she shouldn’t want him, a vampire, but the attraction was too much to resist. She grabbed his hand and excitement tingled throughout her body. She wanted to kiss him, taste him, feel him. Sydney held his hand and then looked down at her dirty clothes. “Kade, I just want you to know that I was glad you were there today. Um...I mean...I know I wasn’t hurt, but it felt good to have someone at my back. I don’t know what the hell that thing was tonight in the alley, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t shake me up a little. So anyway, thanks.” She let his hand drop, entered the bathroom and quickly shut the door.
She leaned against the back of the bathroom door and sighed. She almost had kissed him. What was she doing? Get your head out of your ass Sydney. He just said he's not staying. He's leaving and going back to New Orleans. She reached over and turned on the hot water, stripped out of her rank clothes and tossed them down the chute. A maid was going to launder her clothes? Must be nice. She stepped underneath the hot spray of the water and let the tension run down the drain.
She washed her hair with shampoo that smelled like strawberries. A vampire with strawberry shampoo? She smiled thinking of Kade. As she washed her body with soap, she let her hands run over her breasts. What would it feel like to have Kade’s strong hands massage her breasts? Suck her nipples? Sydney closed her eyes and moaned letting her hand wander down over her bare, waxed mound. She slipped a finger into her folds finding her core. She gently circled her most sensitive area thinking of Kade and how it would feel if he was touching her, tasting her. She groaned again as the tingle built in her womb, finally shaking as she came. Sydney let her forehead rest against the dark blue tile not ready to leave and face him.
Kade nearly died when he heard Sydney moan and smelled her arousal. He wanted to charge up the stairs, break down the door and fuck her senseless. Didn’t she know that vampires had enhanced senses? Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing? As he listened to her pleasuring herself upstairs, he couldn’t hold back. He sat back in the large, leather chair and unzipped his pants pulling out his rock hard cock. She was touching herself. Thinking of him? He stroked himself, harder and harder. He could not believe he was doing this in the den, but shit, she made a man lose his mind. Another moan from upstairs. He could sense she was close. He stroked faster, up and down his length. She was coming. He was coming. His seed went flying onto his pants. “Ah...fuck. What a fucking mess. What are you doing?” What was he doing? Great, now he was talking aloud to himself, just fucking great. He was going to need to see a therapist after this little incident. He grabbed a wad of tissues, jumped up, and stomped up the stairs to his bedroom. He needed to get changed before she saw him.